Muslim women are being molested in Mecca

Muslim women are calling attention to the fact that even as they celebrate Islam with a visit to the holy site of Mecca, men will take advantage of them.

According to an anonymous woman quoted by StepFeed, “Sexual harassment at Hajj is most common in the queue leading to the Black Stone, at the eastern corner of the Kaaba.”

Human rights activist Pamela Geller pointed out, “If Muslims performing the holiest and highest ritual of their faith will engage in this kind of behavior, who can be surprised that they commit mass rapes and sexual assaults as migrants among the kuffar women in Europe? And nothing will be done about this, since a woman’s testimony about sexual matters is disallowed under Sharia.”

An article in the Dhaka Tribune published last week titled, “Women speak out on sexual harassment during Hajj,” illustrated the abuses through one woman’s story:

On Friday, February 2, Pakistani national Sabica Khan shared her terrifying ordeal at the holy pilgrimage, reports StepFeed.

“I was afraid to share this because it might hurt your religious sentiments,” Sabica began.

She went on describe how when she felt the first instance of inappropriate touching, during her third tawaf, she dismissed it as accidental.

However, as the inappropriate touching continued, her suspicions grew and she soon realized she was being sexually harassed, according to StepFeed.

“Then… I felt it again. It made me feel very uncomfortable. I kept moving. During my 6th tawaf I suddenly felt something aggressively poking my butt. I froze, unsure of whether it was intentional. I ignored it and just kept moving slowly because the crowd was huge. I even tried to turn around but woefully couldn’t. When I reached the Yemeni corner, someone tried to grab and pinch my butt. I decided to stop there, grabbed his hand and threw it off me,” Sabica wrote in the Facebook post.

She added that the horrific experience overshadowed her entire experience at Mecca, with the feeling of powerlessness at not even being able to turn around and identify her harassers due to the dense crowds having left her petrified, StepFeed said.

“I believe it’s totally okay and important to be open about harassment. I don’t know how many of you had similar experiences, there but this incident has unfortunately left me feeling upset,” Sabica concluded, as quoted by StepFeed.

A number of people have subsequently commented on her post, with many women sharing their own experiences of sexual harassment at the holy pilgrimage.

One commenter even said she had been facing sexual harassment at Hajj for over 28 years, and suggested Sabica should have been mentally prepared to face it.